


Ghost Stories for Lovers

by loosenoodlepoodledoodle



Series: Romantic Feels [6]
Category: Red Velvet (K-pop Band)
Genre: Angst, F/F, LGBTQ Themes, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-09
Updated: 2019-10-09
Packaged: 2020-11-28 08:07:37
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,245
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20963252
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/loosenoodlepoodledoodle/pseuds/loosenoodlepoodledoodle
Summary: Red Velvet are on vacation in America when Yeri has a realization: her heart belongs to Seulgi!Little does she know that Irene has discovered the exact same thing.





	Ghost Stories for Lovers

The flames danced out of control, obscured by beef charring under a pall of smoke. Yeri couldn’t believe how quickly her burger went to hell. Grabbing it with her tongs, she dropped it haphazardly onto her plate. Gingerly, she split it open from the edge. A line of uncooked meat mocked her from inside its sooty outer skein.

The buzz of the game timer startled her, but she was mollified when she looked at the others’ results. Not one of them had finished yet, either, and hers wasn’t the only one burnt.

It was almost comical how the judges reacted. At least there would be no hurt feelings. They declared Wendy the winner, the director yelled, “Cut!” and that was it. The girls bowed and gave their thanks to the crew, and hung out while they (the crew) cleaned everything up.

Yeri sat on the porch of the larger of the two cabins, looking down into the valley below. Thin wisps of evening mist gathered in the evergreen forest, and she shivered. It would be chilly outside tonight.

She was sitting in one of two chairs on the porch. Joy had taken the opposite seat and was quietly spacing out. The other three were sitting on the steps in front of Yeri. Wendy was leading the conversation, laughing about how their grilling competition went oh-so-wrong, and Seulgi and Irene responded accordingly.

Wendy: “Four years! Four years over here, and I couldn’t make a simple hamburger!”

Irene: “You did better than the rest of us.”

Seulgi: “Besides, how much of that four years did you spend on barbecues?”

Wendy conceded the point, and said something that made the other two laugh.

Seulgi’s smile met her eyes. In that warm radiance, Yeri smiled in turn. No one saw her do it.

Irene made an observation, but Yeri didn’t catch it.

Seulgi said, “I can’t wait to get a chance to explore these woods.”

Wendy demurred, but Yeri was ignoring her.

Seulgi’s face, pale in the waning light of day, seemed to Yeri to shine like moonlit snow.

Someone said something, and Seulgi’s face turned to lock eyes with Yeri’s. Yeri felt goosebumps spreading up her spine, and a faint blush kissing her cheeks. They looked at each other, and when Yeri caught Seulgi’s shy little smile, almost like a secret between them, she beamed at her.

Wendy and Irene were puzzled by this.

“Is there some inside joke between you two?” asked Wendy.

Yeri’s face turned beet-red. Her eyes grew wide, and she covered her face with her hands. She was spared having to make an excuse, as at that moment the crew bade their final farewells until the morrow. Red Velvet watched their vans disappear through the eaves down the long, dirt driveway.

Now alone for the night, the girls entered the bigger cabin. The forest they were in, located somewhere in the eastern half of the United States, was part of some national park the girls knew the name of not. (Part of the plan of the show was for them to be in the dark.) The two cabins were more like large, individually constructed hotel rooms than traditional log bungalows.

Yeri lingered in the hallway behind the others. She washed her hands and face by herself and changed into something more comfortable. Then, instead of following the others to hang out in the living room, she stayed in the bedroom she was sharing with Joy for this trip and laid down on her twin bed, alternately staring at the ceiling and resting her eyes. But the only thing she could see was one young woman’s face.

_Seulgi_, she thought desperately.

Where had this obsession come from? The group had been together for years, and she couldn’t remember feeling this way about her in the past. Maybe it was because she was younger then, and distracted by other things. Or maybe she had grown into it. Aged into it, like a fine wine?

Yes. That was the analogy she preferred.

Seulgi was twenty-five, and Yeri was only twenty. Not yet old enough to drink in this confusing country. As she lay there thinking about this age difference, her breathing became ever so distressed as her insecurities crept in.

_ Five years. That’s not that big of a deal, is it? Surely she wouldn’t mind dating a younger woman._

_ But how? I’ve heard of idols secretly dating, but I don’t know how they get away with it. But then, shouldn’t it be easier, with us being in the same group? We just gotta be careful._

_ Oh God, what if she doesn’t like me? What if I ask her, and she says no, and it destroys the group? Maybe I should just forget about it, no matter how much it hurts._

She clutched at her chest with one hand, trying to calm herself down. She let go when she heard footsteps approaching.

It was Joy, checking up on her. “Yeri, are you okay?”

Yeri slowly sat up. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just getting over that burnt meat smell.”

Joy nodded. “Dinner’s ready,” she said.

Yeri didn’t follow her immediately, instead taking a moment to settle her thoughts. She took a deep breath and got to her feet, walking slowly to the dining room. By the time she got there, Wendy had already put her food in a bowl.

“You didn’t wait for me?” she asked, hurt.

Wendy looked back at her blankly.

“Oh, sorry. It’s just, we’re in America and they don’t really have that rule here. So, since I made it, I figured I’d serve it myself. Besides, we’re all hungry and I thought you were in the bathroom or something.”

With a cryptic look on her face, Yeri took her seat at the table. She wasn’t sure how she felt about them not waiting for her, but then again, she was the youngest. Following Korean custom, she’d be the one left with all the bitch work.

“What’s this?” asked Seulgi. “It looks like dried _kalguksu_.”

“It’s a casserole,” said Wendy. “I left it cooking all day. It probably needs salt.”

She was right. All five of them had to sprinkle it liberally, but otherwise the food wasn’t bad. Yeri was just glad they weren’t forced to eat ruin-burgers.

They sat awkwardly around a square table as they ate. Wendy and Joy jousted elbows to Yeri’s right, Irene sat across from her, and Seulgi was to her left. Most of the conversation was dominated by Wendy and Joy, which was unusual, since normally Yeri and Wendy were the most talkative. Being thrust into such close proximity with Wendy must have forced a sea change on Joy.

It was quite entertaining to watch.

Or it would have been, anyway, if only Yeri hadn’t had someone else on her mind. She kept stealing glances at Seulgi, sometimes looking for a sign of mutual affection, other times merely admiring her beauty. The girl never seemed to look directly back at Yeri, however. She occasionally responded to Wendy and Joy’s inane banter, but otherwise only looked down at her food or stared off into space. Come to think of it, it was almost as if she was watching Yeri out of the corner of her eye.

_ Does she know I like her? Does she like me too? Or is she embarrassed about it? Oh no, I’m being way too obvious, aren’t I?_

Yeri looked away, only to unexpectedly meet Irene’s eyes and nearly cry out in surprise. Irene was staring back at her with such a scary look on her face. Her brow was furrowed as if in anger, and her eyes were wide. There were traces of tears there, too, but Yeri had no chance to discern their meaning. Irene composed herself in an instant. It was not unlike glimpsing a passing ghost.

Hunger lost, Yeri played with the rest of her food until dinner was over. She ignored it when Wendy turned her nose at her unfinished meal. She returned to the bedroom, and was quite surprised when Wendy showed up not ten minutes later.

Wendy closed the bedroom door and turned on a lamp. There was a writing desk at the far end, near the door. She took the chair that was next to it and placed it beside Yeri’s bed. Then she sat in silence until Yeri looked up at her.

“So, you’ve been acting odd lately.”

Yeri clutched her chest with both hands, wincing.

“Does everybody know?”

“Know what?” asked Wendy.

“How I…how I feel, about…”

“About Seulgi?”

Yeri nodded like a child.

Wendy shook her head. “I don’t think Joy’s noticed anything yet. I don’t think Irene has either. But Seulgi’s so unreadable, I can’t be sure.”

“I think she does,” said Yeri earnestly. “She was trying to avoid looking at me at dinner.”

“Well, that might mean something. It might not.”

Yeri exhaled pitifully.

“Oh my God, you really are in love with her!” said Wendy, her eyes wide.

Yeri curled up into a fetal position. “I can’t help it,” she whispered.

Wendy giggled. “My God, you are too special!”

“What do you think I should do?” whimpered Yeri.

Wendy shrugged. “Obviously you should ask her how she feels. Or I could ask her for you.”

“Really?”

“Sure. But maybe it’s better if it comes from you first.”

Yeri didn’t think she was brave enough for that.

“Oh, all right,” laughed Wendy. “I’ll talk to her tonight.”

“You will?”

“Uh-huh.”

Yeri didn’t know how to thank her.

“Just compliment my cooking effusively from now on.”

“Okay.”

“Come on, let’s play cards with the others.”

“Wait,” said Yeri. She sat up.

“Why are you doing this?”

Wendy frowned.

“Why wouldn’t I?”

“I don’t know. Aren’t you worried it might interfere with the group?”

“Not really. Besides, I can’t find a way to date men on my own, but that doesn’t mean you two should have to suffer. Plus, I can live vicariously through you! You’ll have to tell me all about the places you go on your secret dates.”

Yeri couldn’t possibly find the words to express her gratitude, but she didn’t need to. The look on her face almost made Wendy cry. She gently pressed her hand against Yeri’s cheek.

“You’re gonna be so cute together.”

“You really think she likes me?”

“Honey, you weren’t the only one acting suspiciously these past few days.”

The blood drained from Yeri’s face. “Irene…”

Wendy took her hand back. “Irene? What about her?”

“At dinner tonight, she gave me this horrible look. I think—I think she knows how I feel. About Seulgi. And maybe she’s jealous.”

A look of dread came over Wendy. “A love triangle? Now that really could destroy Red Velvet.”

Yeri’s face broke with agony. “What should I do about it?”

“I don’t know. Probably not much you can do. But maybe it’s not about Seulgi, maybe it’s about you.”

“What do you mean?”

“Maybe Irene’s in love with you, and she’s upset because she caught you fawning over Seulgi and ignoring her?”

Yeri’s face lost all trace of mental anguish for a moment, going completely nonplussed. Wendy hadn’t seen Irene’s look herself, so she was pretty sure the girl was wrong about it. Aside from that, the age difference seemed to be even more of a problem.

“Do you really think a twenty-eight year old could be interested in a twenty year old?” she asked.

“Sure,” said Wendy. “Isn’t Leonardo DiCaprio like, twenty years older than his girlfriends?”

“But that’s because men are pigs,” replied Yeri.

Wendy had to stifle her laughter with her hand.

“Okay, maybe you’re right,” said Wendy. “I can talk to them both, if you want. Seulgi tonight when we go to bed, and Irene tomorrow morning. See where they stand.”

“Thanks, Wendy.”

“No problem. Now come on, let’s play Spades.”

***

Four of them sat together at the table, while Irene laid on the sofa, reading ghost stories. Both of the rented cabins had small bookshelves and magazine racks. Visitors were supposed to leave what they could spare for the next guests. It was based on an honor system, and over the years quite an eclectic collection had been assembled.

Wendy sat across from Yeri as her teammate, and Seulgi and Joy resumed their dinner spots. Wendy explained the rules, and after maybe forty minutes of play time, Joy called it quits.

“What, you don’t like fun?” asked Wendy innocently.

“No, I’d just rather go to bed early than lose,” retorted Joy.

Irene got up and offered to take Joy’s place. “I kind of heard some of it, so I think I can figure out the game quickly.”

“Alright,” said Wendy.

They played for another hour or so, neither team winning. They gave up in frustration and warmed up by the fireplace.

“Five hundred points is too high a goal,” said Seulgi.

“Sorry, that’s just how I was taught,” said Wendy. “What should we do now? Go to bed?”

Yeri was tired, but she wasn’t sleepy quite yet. But before she could think of a new activity, Irene gave them one.

“Let’s tell ghost stories,” she said somberly.

A chill spread throughout the room. Yeri began to feel reluctant. During Spades, she hadn’t noticed any kind of knowing looks from either Irene or Seulgi. Only Wendy had shown any, and hers were sort of subtle. Joy, meanwhile, had been wonderfully oblivious to the chemistry in the room. But now, Yeri had found what she’d been looking for. Irene had looked pointedly at her when she made the present suggestion.

“Oh! Ghost stories are fun,” said Wendy. “Too bad Joy’s not awake for this.”

“Yeah, that’s too bad,” said Irene, oddly. “Can you turn out all the lights in here, Wendy? I want to set the mood.”

Wendy did as she was asked, leaving only the fireplace and the porchlight outside lit. By the time she came back, Irene had made herself comfortable on the sofa snuggling against Seulgi. The other girl had become very stiff and still, Yeri noticed. She herself had been too bashful and was still on her feet when Wendy came back.

Wendy’s eyes grew wide when she saw Irene marking her territory. Then she asked Yeri, “Are you okay?”

“Uh, I’m fine—”

“I think the _maknae_ should tell the first story,” interjected Irene.

The others just stared at her.

“Um, okay,” answered Yeri. She looked for a chair to sit in. There was an old one in the corner, and she dragged it over to where everyone could see her. Wendy did likewise, and they exchanged looks of worry. Finally, Yeri was ready to start—except she didn’t know any good ghost stories off the top of her head, so she had to make one up.

“Um, okay…so, once upon a time—”

“Is this a ghost story or a fairy tale?” asked Irene. She did not sound rude when she said it, but genuinely curious.

“I don’t know…maybe a bit of both.”

Irene responded to this statement by adjusting her position relative to Seulgi. That is to say, now she was lying down with her head in Seulgi’s lap. While Yeri was mortified, and Wendy aghast, they both felt oddly satisfied at the blush that spread across Seulgi’s normally calm face.

Irene turned her head to the side and gave Yeri doe-eyes.

“Aren’t you going to continue?”

“What? Oh yeah, sure. Um, once upon a time there was this girl. She was lonely, and had to walk through the woods each day to go to school. Halfway through the woods there was this old house. Rumor had it that it was haunted, but, somebody actually lived there.”

Yeri swallowed, trying to find a way out of the hole she was digging. She looked out the window. With the porchlight on, she could just see the second cabin. Wendy and Seulgi had their bedroom in there, but they preferred hanging out with the others in the big one.

“Whoever it was must have moved in recently, because the house gradually improved every day she passed it. The roof was repaired, then the walls were painted, the fence replaced and the garden weeded and planted with flowers. It began to look lovely. But the lonely girl never saw anyone working. It seemed she always went by the house either too early or too late to see anything.”

She paused to drink in the expressions on their faces. While Seulgi and Irene remained guarded, Wendy’s face was meme-worthy.

“Finally, one afternoon she saw someone in an upstairs window. It was a girl, maybe a little older than she was, which would explain why she never saw her at school. She was…very beautiful.

“From then on, she usually spotted her on the way home, and she got brave enough to wave. The girl in the window would smile and wave back, and it slowly dawned on the lonely girl that she was falling in love with this stranger.

“One weekend, gathering up her courage, she decided to visit the house and knock on the door. She didn’t need to, however, because she finally arrived at a time when the other girl was working outside in the garden.

“Peering over the front gate, she watched her for a time, until, blushing furiously, she called out to her. The other girl turned around, greeted her warmly, and invited her into the house. They…made love in front of the fireplace, and fell asleep in each others’ arms.”

Yeri stole a look at Seulgi. She had a bemused look on her face, but she was smiling. Irene had become an ice queen, and Yeri dared not glance at Wendy. Even out of the corner of her eye, she could see her face was screwed up. If Yeri had looked right at her, they both might have burst out laughing.

“When she woke up, the lonely girl didn’t recognize where she was. Leaves and dirt coated the floors. Moss and vines ran up the walls, and what little paint and wallpaper remained was peeling badly.

“She found the front door, broken off its hinges. When she stepped outside, everything was back to the way it had been months before. The girl would never know if she had fallen in love with a ghost, or a hallucination.”

The room was quiet but for the sounds in the fireplace.

“That was on the nose,” said Irene. Wendy looked like she felt very sorry for Yeri, and Seulgi didn’t give anything away.

“Who’s next?” asked Yeri.

“I think you should go next,” said Irene, pointing.

“What? Really?” said Wendy, surprised.

“Yeah, don’t you know some North American ghost stories?”

“Um, maybe…”

“What do you two think?” Irene asked the others.

Yeri and Seulgi nodded tentatively.

“Okay,” said Wendy reluctantly, “I’ll give it a shot.”

***

“Okay, I don’t remember how this story goes exactly. It’s been a while since I heard it. But apparently twenty years ago, there was this doctor in America. Somewhere in Ohio, to be exact. He was having marital troubles, and he murdered his wife. To hide the body, he dug up his basement and buried her under the foundation. The way the cops found her was because he had had a new concrete floor put in. Ever since then, no matter how often the newest owners of that house try to fix it, dark stains seep into the basement floor, and you can even hear the sound of the doctor chopping up his wife in the dead of night.”

The others stared at her.

“You told a _real_ scary story?” asked Irene, incredulously.

“Well, what was I supposed to do?” objected Wendy.

“Tell one that is obviously made up. That way we don’t all have nightmares tonight.”

“Ugh. Sorry!”

“That’s okay,” said Seulgi.

“Yeah,” said Yeri, a bit too quickly. Irene gave her a look, and Yeri shrank down in her seat.

Irene looked at Wendy sideways. “I’m gonna get you back for that,” she teased quietly. Yeri suddenly had a sinful image of being pinned down, straddled by a wild-eyed, lust-mad Irene. She shivered, wondering where the idea had come from.

Irene sat up and moved to the middle of the sofa.

“I was just reading this one earlier, although I’m going to change some details to make it more relevant to us.”

“How?” asked Yeri.

“Now it’s about a K-pop idol instead of some American singer.”

She took a deep breath and began: “There was once a young woman, an idol, who was very talkative. She was the center of attention. But there was one person she met almost everyday who never responded to her. Sometimes she would encounter her in the lobby at night, other times in the hallway or by the elevator, though she never saw her get on. Eventually, she asked the rest of her group about the taciturn girl, but they didn’t know who she was talking about. Her description (pretty, with white skin, dark hair, dark eyes, wearing a black shirt and sweatpants) was not specific enough. The company was big enough that there were a few girls fitting that description. In fact, the only unique thing about her appearance was her intensely red lipstick.

“One night, she found the girl crying in the restroom. This was the first time she had ever heard her make a sound, so she stepped close to her and asked what was wrong. Once again, the girl didn’t react, but this time the young woman got right in her face and put her hands on the other girl’s shoulders. ‘Hey, what’s wrong?’ she asked. The girl looked up at her and said, ‘I’m just so lonely. You’re the only person who ever notices me.’ And she put her arms around the young woman and kissed her.

“The young woman was shocked. The girl tasted good in her mouth, although there was a faint coppery flavor to her. The girl’s hands were cold, but there was warmth in the way she held her. The young woman shivered, goosebumps spreading up and down her body. She had never felt anything so intensely before. She let her own hands wander all over the girl’s body, and the girl did the same to her. They slid to the floor in a heap, their passion building and building until it surged over them both like a crashing tidal wave.

“The young woman came to her senses, catching her breath, and realized she was all alone. The girl had run off, leaving her with just the peculiar taste of her lips. She looked for her desperately, having fallen head over heels in love in that one rapturous moment. But the halls were all empty, and when she went to the security office to see where she had gone, her heart froze. The camera recorded her entering and exiting the restroom, but no one else. No one had ever even seen another girl in that part of the building that night.

“Hurt and confused, the young woman went up to her dorm and settled into bed. Unable to sleep, and with the mysterious girl’s taste lingering on her tongue, she got on her smartphone and started searching. Before the night was out, she found the girl…in an obituary from ten years ago. It turns out, she was an idol whose death was almost completely covered up by the company. An enraged _sasaeng_ had broken in and stabbed her to death. It was this incident that led the company to install better security systems. But what scared the young woman the most was the last little detail she found; the girl’s lips had turned bloodred by the time they found her. As she remembered the taste of the girl’s kiss, she touched her own lips. When she drew back her fingers, she could see in the light of her smartphone screen that they were now covered in blood.”

***

Irene snuggled back against Seulgi once more.

“That was way creepier than what Wendy told us,” said Yeri.

“Totally,” agreed Wendy.

“But was it any good? As a ghost story?”

“It was,” said Seulgi.

Irene turned and gave Seulgi such an incredible smile that Yeri’s heart practically leapt out of her chest. She immediately imagined the two of them having sex that night in the big cabin’s master bedroom. Irene, as their leader, had the privilege of a room all to herself, and the bed in there was huge.

_ First I pictured Irene fucking me, now all I can think of is getting cucked by her. What the hell is wrong with me?_

“It’s getting pretty late,” said Wendy. “Do we want to stay up for one more?” She looked back and forth between the other three girls. Yeri could tell she was trying to separate them for her, and she appreciated it.

“Nah,” said Irene. “I’m sure we’re all very tired. I’ve still got to take a shower before bed.” She said this while looking knowingly at Seulgi, and then almost mockingly at Yeri. It infuriated her.

_ Who does she think she is? Seulgi hasn’t made any kind of gesture of ‘yes’ to her, and is she actually making fun of me? She won’t be laughing when I sit on her face._

Then Yeri wondered how she could think of such a thing.

“But I want my turn,” said Seulgi. She gently lifted Irene off her lap and pushed her away. Once on her feet, she extended her arm to Yeri.

“Huh?” Yeri asked, surprised.

“I want that spot. It’s the storyteller’s spot.”

Yeri blushed and took Seulgi’s hand. She felt a thrill as the other girl pulled her to her feet. Then her heart fell, as the only place she could now sit was on the sofa.

Next to Irene.

***

“There was once an old cabin in a forest. No one knew for sure where this cabin was, but many people had seen it, though few had ventured inside. No one could agree where they had found it. It seemed the cabin moved around, and was in a different place for different people. But all who ventured therein did agree on one thing; to enter that place was to court their own peril.”

_She is so much better at this than I am_, thought Yeri. She looked at the other two. Irene was giving Seulgi her full attention, and did not react in the slightest to Yeri’s probing. But Wendy glanced at Yeri, with an expression of thoughtful confusion.

“One day, three good friends decided to hike in the woods. They had heard of the legend of the lost cabin, but paid it no heed. Thus was their surprise complete when they stumbled upon it, right as they were about to head back home.

“The first friend was the leader of their group. She was elegant and warm, though she tried too often to solve her problems herself, and not ask her friends for help.”

Irene shifted uneasily next to Yeri.

“The second friend…” Seulgi paused.

_Wow_, thought Yeri. _This is how she sees herself_.

“The second friend was fit, hardworking, and above all else, knew how to keep her cool.

“The third friend—”

Yeri couldn’t help holding her breath.

“—was earnest and innocent. And very, very cute.”

Yeri’s heart soared.

“When the friends found the cabin, they weren’t sure what to make of it. Was it the place they had heard of? Or was it only a wooden house? Their curiosity compelled them to check it out.”

Seulgi paused for dramatic effect. “Inside, the place was well furnished. Flowers in a vase on a table greeted them as they entered, their fragrance as sweet as their friendship for each other.” Seulgi smiled a little as she said this, and Yeri felt an electric jolt. She stole a glance at Irene, and thought she could see the ice queen’s mask falter, but only for an instant.

“The inside was not old, but modern, though hardly state of the art. But it made the place seem quaint, even welcoming. As they explored, they began to feel right at home. The only thing missing was food; while there was a kitchen, its pantry was bare.

“Finally, weariness overcame the friends, and with evening’s arrival they settled in for the night. They shared the cabin’s single bed together, and fell asleep.

“Now, at this point—” and here Seulgi had to stop and find the right words—“the friends…let’s say they had the same experience, but different dreams. They all dreamt of waking up in the dim blue-gray before dawn, finding themselves alone. Searching for the others, they stepped out of the cabin door, and into another world. They spent years looking, living out their whole lives apart—”

“Like Narnia?” blabbed Wendy.

“Like Narnia,” said Seulgi, nodding. “One of them became queen of a winter realm, commanding the love and respect of multitudes. One of them became a famous knight, defending her new world from evil. And one became a healer, making whole again those who had lost so much.”

Yeri could hardly contain the feeling in her heart at that moment. She wondered if it was the same for Irene.

“Then the dreams ended, and they were thrust back together once more. They woke up and gathered their shoes and other belongings. They found that the cabin had changed somehow. It no longer felt quaint or welcoming, but instead old and rustic, and above all else, abandoned. Nothing was missing, however, and they couldn’t figure out what had changed. The only thing obviously different was that the flowers in the vase were now dry, dead, and scentless.

“They left the cabin to find themselves in the same location, and the sun had not descended as much as they had feared. They would be able to make it back to their car well before the darkness smothered the forest. Relieved of this fear, they spent the hike back deep in thought about their dream experiences. If any of them had looked back before turning the first bend on the trail, they would have been shocked to see that the cabin was gone, set adrift to meet its next weary visitors.

“The first friend brooded over what had been missing in her life as a queen. It struck her like an epiphany, as the second friend strode ahead of them. She had presented herself as a strong leader to her subjects, stoic and unfazed, but deep down inside she was afraid. The only thing that made her whole again was the thought of the lady knight, protecting her.

“The third friend, the healer, saw the first stare longingly at the second. She began to despair, for she had always felt entirely outclassed by her, and in her dream had come to possess the same desire for the lady knight.

“The second friend, the lady knight, felt something a little different from the other two. Sure, she felt the same sort of love for them both. She even felt it for the same reasons. But the difference was, she felt it for them both, equally. When they reached their car, she turned and looked at them, and saw them in their jealousy towards each other. So far, it wasn’t too serious. But in a short time, it would be, and it would tear their friendship apart if they let it.

“Thus, she confronted them: ‘You both love me, do you not?’

“They answered, ‘Yes.’

“‘And do you love each other?’

“They had to admit that this was true.

“‘Then don’t make me choose between the two of you. I love you both, so why must I only choose one?’

***

Seulgi stood between them, leaning against the sofa with her knees pressing down on one of the seat cushions. Yeri held her left hand, and Irene her right. Wendy was beside herself.

“You three are so—_pretty_ together!” she sobbed. She bade them goodnight and went to her cabin. There was a rush of cold air as she shut the door behind her.

Yeri and Irene followed Seulgi out of the living room. They were surprised at how chilly the rest of the place had gotten this far from the fireplace. Seulgi made sure to switch on the cabin’s water heater.

She led them to Irene’s bedroom. It was dimly lit by a sliver of porchlight coming in from behind the curtain, and it had its own bathroom. The two of them stared as she stripped down in front of them.

“Didn’t you say you wanted to take a shower before bed?” asked Seulgi.

“Oh. Yeah.” Irene looked her up and down. “Just taking in the sights first.”

Seulgi smiled, and Yeri giggled. Irene looked at her, and Yeri was pleased to see some warmth directed her way. They stripped down, then followed Seulgi into the shower. They were too nervous to try anything fun, and anyways, they were just cleaning off before they got into bed.

_We’re just going to get dirty again_, thought Yeri.

They finished as quick as they could, then toweled off. Seulgi grabbed Irene’s bathrobe and put it on.

“I’m going to turn off the water heater,” she said. “Will you warm up the bed for me?”

Yeri and Irene nodded bashfully.

They got into bed, and it was freezing. They immediately clung to each other, and Irene wound up on top. Yeri could feel Irene’s smaller breasts pressed against her own. Their nipples were erect, and not just from the cold. They delightfully pushed into each others’ soft skin, and Yeri could swear her mouth was almost watering. She ran her hands up and down Irene’s body, trying to warm her up, and she felt Irene press her thigh against her crotch. Irene slid her leg up and down a little bit, and Yeri’s wetness spread over Irene’s skin. It felt good, so Yeri did the same to Irene.

“God, I’ve wanted to fuck you,” whispered Irene.

“But weren’t you mad at me at dinner?”

“No, not really. I think I was scared. I lust for you, but I’m in love with Seulgi. Does that make sense?”

Yeri thought it did, and she realized she felt the same way.

“What should we do to Seulgi first?” she asked.

“I don’t know. Let’s keep it simple. Kiss her, suck her tits. _Eat her pussy_.”

Yeri giggled as Seulgi walked through the door, but that’s not how things played out. They separated, giving Seulgi a chance to slip in between them. They started kissing her, but when Yeri moved down to her breasts Irene began exploring with her hand. She traced out the delicate lines of Seulgi’s toned belly, then let herself drift down farther.

“That feels so good,” said Seulgi, arching her back.

Irene kissed her again, then said, “Try no to cry out. We don’t want to wake up Joy.”

“I don’t even care anymore.”

Irene laughed. “Yeri, help me out.”

She took Yeri’s left hand and showed her how to do it. When she had gotten the hang of it, Irene joined in again. The way Seulgi moved and moaned was scary to Yeri. She thought she might be in pain.

“Are you alright, Seulgi?”

“Yes—oh God, keep doing it!”

“_Double penetration!_” whispered Irene, and she laughed.

Yeri was puzzled. “Don’t you mean ‘quadruple penetration?’”

Irene’s amusement was drowned out by the cry Seulgi made. It was loud enough to wake Joy, who heard the rhythmic creaking the bedframe made as Seulgi’s entire body spasmed and high-tailed it out of there. Yeri heard her slamming doors as she sped off towards the other cabin, and just caught the sound of Wendy’s cackling into the night air.

The three of them laid there together as Seulgi slowly caught her breath. When she was ready, she asked them an important question.

“That was amazing, you two. Um…who’s next? Or, you can do me again. If you want.”

Yeri and Irene looked at each other and smiled.

***

Breakfast the next morning was awkward. Joy looked annoyed at having been woken up in the middle of the night by a porno next door, and Wendy was…well, Wendy seemed to have a lot of questions on her mind. It was Seulgi who answered them.

“You look like you want to know how it went last night, but you’re too afraid too ask. All you need to know is that, last night was perfect. And yes we’re together now, and we shall live happily ever after.”

Their filming activity for the day was to find a location deep in the woods. The three lovers insisted on being grouped together, and while Yeri was afraid they would be discovered it seemed the crew didn’t suspect a thing. They were given handheld cameras to record their journey themselves, and they had a marvelous time.

Their destination proved to be a large stand of maple trees, an exotic oasis amongst the pines. It was a place well-known in that park for its fall colors. The timing of their visit could not have been better. Reds, yellows, oranges, and even some purple leaves greeted them. They found a small clearing near the center of the grove, and there they stood, surrounded as if by a wondrous painting. They held hands together, and hadn’t a care in the world.

**Author's Note:**

> So after writing two super-serious stories ("Eight Mourning Women" and "In the Museum of Hope and Despair") I decided to write another lesbian romance, this time starring Red Velvet. I don't know where I got the idea that they should tell ghost stories, but the little one Wendy shares is based on something I heard growing up in Mansfield, Ohio. If you Google it, it apparently happened in the Woodlawn neighborhood back in the nineties. Although, I am only going by my memory, and perhaps Google will not give up anything about it at all. I made up the ghostly part, however.
> 
> *Okay, I gotta tell you a story about writing this. It's not important, just funny. (At least to me.) So I included the sex scene at the end almost as a joke or a reward. But while I was writing it, I had this Dave Chappelle joke in my head. It's from one of his Netflix specials, but not the newest one. Anyway, in the joke, he's acting like he's a CSI character, and at the end of the bit, to paraphrase, he says, in a gruff voice, "Yep. It's pussy juice." Now imagine trying to write a semi-serious lesbian sex scene with Dave Chappelle's voice in your head saying that over and over. ㅋㅋㅋ!


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